Submergible filling head



J. H. RIESENBERG SUBMERGIBLE FILLING HEAD -Aug. 19.; 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Oct. :51, 1966 INVENTOR. \Lmes 7f. Rzesenzaerg TQRN- Yi g- 1959J. H. RIESENBERG 3,461,923

SUBMERGIBLE FILLING HEAD Filed Oct. 31, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mamba.L7ames JC Rceserzerg BY QM ATTORNEZS.

| a f q Aug. 19, 1969 J. H. RIESENBERG SUBMERGIBLE FILLING HEAD FiledOct. 31, 1966 3 2 6 w ,w 5 M W 3 am 5 R G Y t 05 2 My m n N h e R w M kn a IN- 11 4m M. m ii. i: 5 4 :Wvmww m \\\E 1 S Y 7 m M 7 Jm B Aug. 19,1969 J. H. RIESENBERG SUBMERGIBLE FILLING HEAD 4 Sheets- Sheet A FiledOct. 51, 1966 zNvz'm'on. ames Ji: fj'z'esenberg ATTGRNE'YS.

United States Patent O 3,461,923 SUBMERGIBLE, FILLING HEAD James H.Riesenberg, Amherst, N .Y., assignor t Con I ABSTRACT on THE DISCLOSUREA container filling machine has. a product dispensing filling headincluding a first tubular member. A filling stem extends through thefirst member for telescoping movement therein, and product deliverymeans communicate 12 Claims with the. filling stem..A second tubularmember is mov able with the filling stem within. thefirst memberand a.

first fluid chamber is provided between the firstand second members. Apiston is carried by the second member for movement therewith inthefirst chamber, and fluid under pressure is admitted to the firstchamber on one side of.

the piston. A third tubular member telescopes within the second memberand a sleeve. encircles the filling stem;

a second fluid chamber being defined between the sleeve and the thirdmember. A fourth tubularmember encircling the sleeve and telescopingWithin the thirdrnember carries a container engaging centering bell.Fluid under,

pressure is admitted to the second chamber, and the fourth member ismovable. into the. second chamber against the fluid pressure therein,with stop means limiting outward movement .of the fourth memberrelative-to the third.

This invention relates generally to the filling art, andmorepar'ticularly to a new and useful submergible filling stem isaccomplished by a rising cam, with the stem lowering by gravity as thecam retreats.

However, such arrangements are not entirely satisfac-.

tory because the desired stem lowering action does not" always occur.When the product being dispensed is par ticularly viscous, or when thefilling head partsbe'corne worn, the force of gravity cannot be reliedupon to pro-" duce the desired action.

Therefore, -a primary object of my invention is to pro vide asubmergible filling head incorporating means 'providing a positive sternlowering action under cam control.

Another object of my invention is to provide a submergible filling headwherein the dispensing openings are closed upon retraction of thefilling stem, together with means automatically operable in the absenceof a con tainer to lower with the stem in a manner precluding thedischarge of product from the stem. It is also an object of my invention'to' provide a submergible filling head which is self-adjusting to'accom-- v modate variations in container height over a substantialrange thereof.

The foregoing and other object s, advantage's and' char acterizingfeatures 'of my invention will become clearly apparent from the' ensuingdetailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, referencebeing made to the" and filling level accompanying drawings depicting thesame wherein like reference numerals denote like parts throughout thevarious views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a View partly in section but primarily in 3,461,923 PatentedAug. 19, 1969 elevation showing a filling machine incorporating thesubmergible filling head of my invention, some parts being broken awayfor ease of illustration;

FIG. 2 is a view'thereof partly in plan and partly in horizontalsection, being taken about on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a generally diagrammatic view of the drive mechanism thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, on an enlarged scale, showing one ofthe submergible filling head assemblies of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view thereof on a furtherenlarged scale, being taken about on line 55' of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view thereof taken about online 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view, on a further enlargedscale, showing the dispensing nozzle in its retracted, closed position;

FIGS. 8-13 are generally schematic views showing successive relativepositions of the filling head assembly and a container; and

FIG. 14 is a view like those of FIGS. 8-13 but showing the loweredposition of the filling head assembly in the absence of a container.

Referring now in detail to the illustrative embodiment depicted in theaccompanying drawings, there is shown a filling machine incorporatingthe submergible filling head assembly of my invention. The machine has abase 1 and a conveyor section 2 which includes a conveying mechanismhaving a conveying flight 3 and a return flight 4. Empty containers arefed to the machine on flight 3 under control of an infeed worm 5, beingheld in position thereagainst by a laterally adjustable guide 6. Worm 5delivers containers in properly spaced sequence to an infeed star wheel7 which carries them around a guide cam 8 and onto the containersupporting trays or platforms 9.

In the illustrated machine there are a total of eighteen trays 9,although either a large or a smaller number could be provided. Trays 9are mounted on a rotatable cover plate 10 of housing 1 and arevertically reciprocable relative thereto under control of any suitablemeans such as, for example, pneumatic cylinders 11 urging rollers I12against a guide cam 12' which regulates the raising and lowering oftrays 9 in a manner understood in the art. Trays 9 can be mounted on theupper end of piston rods 13 which are enclosed by flexible boots 14 fromtrays 9 to cover plate 10.

Trays 9 are annularly arranged about a rotating central column 15 towhich plate 10' is secured for'rotating therewith. A machine headassembly 21 is mounted on column 15 for rotation therewith, the head 21'having a sleeve 16 arranged in vertical telescopic relation to column15. A worm 17 carried by sleeve 16 engages a rack 18 on column 15,wor'rn' 17 having a beveled gear connection 19 to a shaft 20 formed toreceive a wrench or other tool, and to be rotated thereby for raisingand lowering head 21 relative to cover plate 10.

Individual filling head assemblies 22 are provided, equal in number tothe number of container supporting trays 9, being generally verticallyaligned therewith. The

containers fed onto trays 9 are filled by the filling head assemblies 22as'they are carried around the central col- 5 umn 15, and then aredischarged by an outfeed star wheel 23 in conjunction with guide cam8'onto the conveying flight 3.

Central column 15 is rotated by a drive mechanism including a motor 24having adrive belt connection 25 to a shaft 26 which in turn has a drivebelt connection 27 to the input shaft 28 of a speed reducer 29. A gear30 on the output shaft 31 of speed reducer 29engages a gear 32 connectedto column 15, and a drive chain 33 provides a connection betweensprockets on shafts 31 and 34 which latter has chain and sprocketconnections 35 to the drive shafts 36 of the infeed and outfeed starwheels 7 and 23. A chain and sprocket drive connection 37 is providedfrom infeed star wheel drive shaft 36 to a power shaft 38 for worm 5. Inthis way column 15, star wheels 7 and 23 and Worm are driven by motor 24in properly synchronized relation.

The product with which the containers are to be filled is brought inthrough base 1 via stationary product supply line 48 and 41 passingthrough column and head 21 to a product chamber 42 in a housing 39 onhead 21. The product is supplied to the individual filling headassemblies via lateral openings 43 in the side wall of chamber 42 andindividual conduits 44, under control of a segmental, stationary,restricting valve 45.

Air under positive pressure is brought in through stationary conduits 46and 47 along the centerline of column 15, from above, communicatingthrough lateral passages with air chambers 48 and 49, respectively,which chambers have constant communication with the individual fillinghead assemblies through openings in the side walls of the chambers 48and 49 and conduits 50 and 51, respectively. The air supplied tochambers 48 and 49 can be at different pressures.

The various filling head assemblies 22 are identical in construction andoperation, whereby only one thereof will be described in detail. Asshown in FIGS. 46, each filling head assembly comprises a cylindricallytubular housing 52 secured at its lower end to a bracket 53 mounting thefilling head assembly 22 on the periphery of an annular, horizontalshelf 54 on machine head 21. A tie rod container member 55 is secured tothe upper end of housing 52, and provides a mounting support for pairedupper and lower tie rods 56 and 57. The upper ends of rods 56 aresecured in a cross support 58, while the lower ends of rods 57 aresecured in bracket 53.

A roller type cam follower 59 is mounted on a tubular plug 60 havingbushings 61 guided by rods 56, and having a reduced diameter portion 62secured in the upper end of an intermediate tubular member 63 concentricwith housing 52 and of smaller diameter, thereby providing an annularhold-down chamber 64 closed at its upper end by bracket 55 and at itslower end by a piston 65 carried by tube 63 for movement therewith. Airis supplied under pressure to chamber 64 via conduit 51 to urge piston65 toward the lower end of that chamber, to the position shown in FIG.5, thereby causing roller 59 to follow the retreating surface of a cam66. A vent 92 is provided for chamber 64, below piston 65.

A filling tube 66 extends through a vacuum sleeve 67 to the member 60,to which it is fixed. At its upper end, filling tube 66 communicateswith a product chamber 68 which receives the product to be dispensed viaconduit 44, elbow 69, a ball-type check valve 70 and a passage 71. Theproduct supply unit includes a housing 72 closed at its upper end by acap 73 and secured to the end plug unit 60 by means including a nut 74.

Filling tube 66 is journaled intermediate its ends in a guide 75engaging an internal shoulder 76 on a 'mbular member 77 which lattercarries an external bushing 78 for relative telescoping movement withinmember 63. At its lower end, member 77 is provided with an externalshoulder 79 seating against the bottom of bracket 53, thereby definingthe upper, raised position of member 77.

Guide member 75 is secured to the upper end of vacuum tube 67, whichlatter is of stepped form having one or more side wall openings 80placing the annular chamber between members 66 and 67 in communicationwith an annular vacuum chamber 81 surrounding member 67 andcommunicating with a negative pressure source via conduit 82, chamber 83and a suction line 84 extending through column 15 to a suction source.The

chamber between members 66 and 67 is sealed above opening 80.

Vacuum chamber 81 is contained within a tubular housing 85 terminatingat its lower end in a centering bell 86 adapted to receive the mouth 87of a container C in a manner understood in the art. At its upper end,housing 85 carries an internal bushing 88 engaging vacuum tube 67.Housing 85 is reciprocable Within a bushing 89 secured to the lower endof tube 77 by a nut 90, and at its upper end housing 85 carries a nut91' which engages against the upper end of bushing 89. The upper end '91of housing 85 forms a piston movable in a cushioning chamber 91 to whichair under pressure is supplied via conduit 50.

At its lower end, filling tube 66 terminates in an end plug havingdownwardly directed discharge passages 93 arranged therearound. When thefilling stem or tube 66 is extended, as shown for example in FIGS. 4 and5, product will be dispensed through passage 93. When filling stem 66 isretracted into vacuum sleeve 67, as will be described, the sleeve seatson an external shoulder 94 around the end plug and effectively closespassages 93. The bottom surface of plug 95 is cleared of product via avacuum conduit 96 opening through the bottom of plug 95 and through theside wall of filling stem 66, in communication with the vacuum chamberprovided between tubes 66 and 67.

The operation of the submergible filling heads 22 of my invention is asfollows, reference being made especially to FIGS. 8l4 and to a singlehead. The machine is started, with appropriate controls well understoodin the art and therefore omitted from this description. Containers C arefed onto successive trays 9 in the manner previously described. Cam 66,carried by the machine, holds the tubular member 63 in its elevatedposition as shown on the left side of FIG. 1, with filling tube 66thereby being retracted, to avoid interference with the infeed ofcontainers. As the filling head is rotated by the machine, clockwise inthe direction of an arrow in FIG. 2, cam 66' retreats and roller 59follows the retreating cam, permitting member 63 and filling stem 66 tolower. It is a particular feature of my invention that air underpressure is admitted to chamber 64 at all times during the fillingcycle, thereby urging piston 65 to its lowered position, shown in FIGS.5 and 6. As a result, member 63 and stem 66 are forced to follow theretreating cam, insuring proper operation of the filling head.

As cam 66 retreats, members 63 and 66 lower from the position of FIG. 8to that of FIG. 9. As member 66 lowers, it carries with it vacuum sleeve67 and guide 75 fixed to the upper end thereof. Lowering of guide 75permits member 77 and consequently the centering bell assembly 85, 86 tolower until the centering bell engages the open end of the containermouth 87 The latter enters the centering bell and seats against asealing gasket 97, thereby arresting further downward movement ofceutering bell 86. The container thus holds centering bell 86 and itstubular extension 85 against further lowering. The fluid pressure inchamber 91 thereupon holds sleeve 67 against further lowering, andproduct is dispensed as filling stem 66 lowers into the container.

The container supporting tray 9 then is elevated, to the position shownin FIG. 10, moving bell assembly 85, 86, and guide 75 upwardly untilshoulder 79 of member 77 engages bracket 53 and stops upward movement ofmember 77. This also stops upward motion of vacuum sleeve 67.

Container C continues to move upwardly, taking with it bell assembly 85,86 which moves into chamber 91 against the air pressure therein, therebymoving the container seal 97 upwardly relative to the end of vacuumsleeve 67 and determining the ultimate height of fill. This dimensioncan be varied by adjusting the elevation of tray cam 12', as describedin my pending application Ser. No. 507,485, filed Nov. 12, 1965, nowPatent 3,386,480,

closely adjacent the bottomof the container, this beingthe positionshown in FIG. 10. As this occurs," product is dispensed under control of'valve 45 and the container begins to fill, while being evacuated of airvia suction line Y 82 'and vacuum sleeve 67.

The upward movement of container C after it h'as'engaged centering bell'86 causes it to seat firmly against gasket 97, and it is a particularfeature of 'my invention that variations in the height of the containerand in the desired full height are accommodated automatically by the aircushion in chamber 91. Looking at FIG. 5, if centering bell 86 'is urgedupwardly by a container, such movement is accommodated by the"compressible air cushion in chamber 91, and it will be appreciated-thata substantial range of accommodation is provided between the lower endof chamber 91 as defined by bushing 89 and the upper end thereof asdefined by guide 75. Thus, there is no need fora special gasket at 97-or for a separate spring arrangement. Instead, such self-adjustingaction is provided by the compressible aircushion in chamber 91,- whichpositive pressure normally urges the centering bell to its lowermostposition but permits up-- ward movement thereof.

As the container begins to fill with-product, cam 66' begins to raiseand follower 59 starts to lift member 63 and filling stem 66. This isshown in FIG. ll'and continues until the container. is completelyfilled, at which time the filling head will assume thei'positiondepicted in FIG. 12. At this point, filling stem 66 has-been-re-'tracted into sleeve 67, shutting off product flow as depicted in FIG. 7.Thereafter, tray 9 lowers the filled container which is removed from thefilling machine via star wheel Assuming now that for one reason oranother a particular supporting tray 9 is empty and there is nocontainer to be filled, it is another particularfeature of my inventionthat the filling head remains shut off, as follows. The retreating cam66 will permit members 63 and filling stem 66 to lower from the positionof FIG. 8 to that of FIG. 10, as before. However, since there is nocontainer to arrest the downward movement of centering bell 86, sleeve67 remains seated on shoulder- 94, in the. position shown in FIG. 7, andcontinues to follow filling stem 66 to its lowered position. This isbecause such following movement normally is arrested upon engagement ofcentering bell 86 with the mouth of a container C, the air pressure inchamber 91 thereupon holding sleeve 67 and, through guide 75, member 77against lowering. In the absence of such engagement, sleeve 67,

guide 75 and member 77 simply follow. the lowering fill- H ing stem,with the air pressure in chamber 91 urging the centering bell housing 85to its lowermost position in the chamber as depicted in FIG. 5. Thus,all of the relatively movable filling head parts move downwardly, andthe product dispensing passages remain closed whereupon no product isdispensed. This occurs automatically. At th&

end of that filling cycle the filling head which previously wasinoperative due to the absenceof a container is automatically, operativeagain if a container is present.

to arrest the downward movement of centering bell 86 and, with it,sleeve 67. p

Accordingly, it is seen that my invention fully accom- I plishes its'intended objectsQThere is provided a submergible filling head ofrelatively simple construction having a positive cam following actionand a yieldable"cent'ering-bellarrangement accommodating a substantialvaria tion in container heights. With this, there also is provided anarrangement which automatically renders the filling being" intended toinclude within the'scope of-the appended claims those variations andmodifications which will occur to those'skilled in the art.

Having fully disclosed and completely described my invention, and itsmode of operation, what I claim is:

1. In 'a container filling machine, a product dispensing filling headincluding a first tubular member, a filling stem extending through'saidfirst member for telescoping movement therein, product delivery meanscommunicating with said filling stem, a second tubular member movablewith said filling stem within said first member, means defining a firstfluid chamber between said first and second members, piston meanscarried by saidsecond member for movement therewith in said firstchamber, means for admitting fluid under pressure to said first chamberon one side of said piston, a third tubular member telescoping withinsaid second member, a sleeve encircling said filling stem, meansdefining a second fluid chamber between said sleeve and said thirdmember, a fourth tubular member encircling said sleeve and telescopingwithin said third member, stop means limiting outward movement of saidfourth member relative to said third member, means for admitting fluidunder pressure to said second chamber, said-fourth member being movableinto said second chamber against the fluid pressure therein,

and container engaging means carried by said fourth member.

lowering movement theerwith relative to said second member, said sleeveand said third member lowering with said stem in the absence of acontainer to be filled and thereby preventing the discharge of productfrom said discharge spring, said fourth member acting through the fluidpressure in said second chamber to support said sleeve and said thirdmember against lowering with said stem upon engagement by said containerengaging means of a container to be filled.

4. A container filling head as set forth in claim 3, wherein saidcontainer engaging means comprises a centering bell.

5. A container filling head as set forth in claim 2, together with acam, a cam follower connected to said second member, and meansrelatively moving said cam and said follower, the fluid pressure in saidfirst chamber acting on said piston in a direction urging said followerinto following engagement with said cam.

6. A container filling head as set forth in claim 3, togetherwith asuction passage communicating with the interior of said sleeve, andmeans placing the exposed end of said stem 1n suction communication withthe interior of said sleeve when said stem is retracted into saidsleeve.

,7. In a container filling machine, a product dispensing filling headincluding a first tubular member, means mounting said first member in anupright position, a fillingstem extending through said first member fortelescoping movement therein, a second tubular member within said firstmember movable with said first member, means defining a fluid chamberbetween .said first and second members, piston means carried by saidsecond member for movement therewith in said chamber, means for admitting fluid under pressure to said chamber on one side of said piston,a sleeve encircling said fillin stem, means including a cam followerconnected to said stem for retractingthe same into said sleeve againstthe fluid pressure in said chamber, said stem having a product dischargeopening closed by said sleeve upon retraction of said stem into saidsleeve, the fluid pressure in said chamher urging said piston in adirection lowering said stem relative to said sleeve, said sleeve beingmounted for lowering movement with said stem thereby to maintain saidproduct discharge opening closed in the absence of a container to befilled, and means including container engaging means mounted forlowering movement with said stem and said sleeve for supporting saidsleeve against lowering with said stem upon engaging a container to befilled.

8. In a container filling machine, a product dispensing filling headmounted in an upright position and including a vertically reciprocablefilling stem, a sleeve encircling said stem, means for retracting saidstem into said sleeve, said stem having a product discharge openingclosed by said sleeve upon retraction of said stem into said sleeve,said stem being mounted for lowering movement relative to said sleeve todispense product into a container present for filling, said sleeve beingmounted for lowering movement with said stern in the absence of acontainer to be filled and thereby maintain said discharge openingclosed, and means including container engaging means mounted forlowering movement with said stem for supporting said sleeve againstlowering with said stem upon engagement with a container to be filled.

9. In a container filling machine, a container supporting member, afilling head including a cushioning chamber, a product dispensingpassage, a positioning bell, and means mounting said bell for engaging asupported container and positioning it relative to said passage, meansfor relatively moving said supporting member and said positioning belltoward each other, and means for admitting fluid under pressure to saidcushioning chamber,

said bell mounting means being movable in said cushioning chamberagainst the fiuid pressure therein.

10. A container filling machine as set forth in claim 9, saidpositioning bell including means for sealing a supported container,together with a suction passage having an inlet communicating with asupported container in sealing engagement with said positioning bell,said sealing means being movable with said bell mounting means relativeto said suction inlet thereby to vary the height of fill in a supportedcontainer.

11. A container filling machine as set forth in claim 7, said sleevesupporting means including a cushioning chamber accommodating movementof said container engaging means relative to said sleeve, together withmeans for admitting fluid under pressure to said cushioning chamber.

12. A container filling machine as set forth in claim 8, said sleevesupporting means also including a cushioning chamber, together withmeans for admitting fluid under pressure to said chamber.

References Qited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,056,436 10/1962 Fechheimer etal. l4159 HOUSTON S. BELL, JR., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

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